March 2025 SOLC–Day 5
A huge thank you to Two Writing Teachers for all that they do to create an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write, learn, share and grow.
http://www.twowritingteachers.org
During the Slice of Life challenge, I feel like I have antennae, and they are forever quivering, searching for a hint of a topic. I’m constantly thinking, “Could that make a slice?” “Oh, how about that?” Just yesterday morning, I got in the shower and thought. “Hmmmm….could I slice about showering?” As I scrubbed, I pondered. My brain drifted around, suggesting topic after topic and we had a lively conversation.
Brain: Well, this shower feels amazing! You could write about being thankful for indoor plumbing and the warmth of a shower on a cold winter morning.
Me: Um. No.
Brain, again: OK…let me think….Oh! You could write about living on a boat and how amazing the infrequent showers felt.
Me: Maybe….but nah, I’m not really feeling that.
Brain: shower…shower…shower…Hey! Couldn’t you write about how you used to scrub a portion of the shower walls every morning before showering, in a perpetual cleaning cycle.
Me: Oh yeah, scrubbing a little bit every day was the only way I got the job done! Do you remember how that came up in conversation with W. (my principal) once? I think we were talking about tackling big jobs in little pieces. But then, a few weeks later, he mentioned thinking about me cleaning my shower. And ick…even though I knew what he meant…well, that just felt… well, awkward. I mean I really didn’t want him thinking about me in the shower! Actually, come to think of it, now that I am thinking about it, I don’t really want anyone to imagine me in the shower.
Brain, on a roll now, being a bit pedantic: Well, if you’re going to talk about showering, you should remember to use sensory descriptions.
Me: Well, …
Brain, excited now and interrupting!: Oh, I know! You could tell them to imagine your head on Bo Derek’s body! That would be funny!
Me, smiling: Well, that movie reference will definitely add some wrinkles to their imagination! Most of them will probably never even have heard of it. Also, is there even a shower scene in 10? Have we even watched that movie?
Brain, in full swing now: Oh! I know! I know!
(Side note: If my brain were embodied, it would be hopping up and down right now. But, wait a sec….in one sense, my brain actually is fully embodied, isn’t it. Weird!)
Brain: How about some sort of Psycho scene?
Me, fully entertained, but wresting control back from Brain, who has truly gone off the rails: Wait, what?! Enough! It’s time to get to school. Don’t worry, we’ll think of something eventually.
And look, we did!
Also, yeah, this might just be the weirdest slice I’ve ever written, but that’s truly what it’s like in my brain these days with me and my brain in full slice mode!
Nix the comfort zone 
I love how you wrote out the voice of your brain! I like her! You turned the ideas you had in the shower to such a captivating slice… should I be cleaning the shower more?
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I hope you noticed I used the past tense, as in, “I used to do this…” That habit never totally caught on and my shower shows it these days!
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You capture the process of generating ideas (and revising them before writing) SO well. I love your brain and her voice and her over-excitement. Such a cool format for a slice. I have a running list of possible slices on my Notes app that I add to whenever I have the “this could be a slice…” thought. But then, when it’s time to write, I usually have a similar type of conversation with my brain without even looking at said note!
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I jot down lots of ideas, too, Amy. I look through them sometimes, but it’s weird, because even though some of them are perfectly reasonable ideas, I rarely want to write them later on.
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Exactly! It’s almost like, if I want it to become a slice, I need to NOT write it down??
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I think almost everyone who slices would be able to relate to your conversation (maybe not in the shower) but generally throughout the day….can I slice about this, or maybe that? I definitely get obsessed with finding possible ideas. Thanks for making it into such a fun read between yourself and your brain! Such a great slice.
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Thanks! It was fun to write.
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This is a hoot! I love the format of having a conversation with your brain. Terje sort of does this in her post but in a different way. Seems we both have water on our minds today, and like you, I’m thinking about what each slice will be next, especially now that I’m in this certain time frame paradigm w/ Kim. I giggled about Bo Derek. That’s a name from the past. Isn’t she like old now? Ew to the thought of a boss in the shower and to the thought of a boss thinking about staff in the shower. Like you, I like cleaning a little daily. I take care of the bathroom counters, and my hubs rinses and cleans the shower.
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True confession: I rarely clean and definitely don’t do it daily! As I pointed out in another comment, I used the past tense when describing that practice. I did do it for a while, but it’s fallen by the wayside now. Oh, well…
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You have inspired me to write my next blog in conversation form. Me and the trail. From the trail’s point of view! Yes. Thanks, MBH!
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I’ll look forward to it!
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This is a fun format with yes, an interesting topic!
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Thanks! I feel like I inevitably write a “Me and My Brain” kind of slice during the March challenge. Move over, Mercer Mayer! lol
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I had so much fun reading this post! This is exactly how my brain has been working this month, trying to think and capture the best slices!
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It’s one of the things I actually like most about participating. I feel like it wakes me up a bit!
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My mom, sister, and I all constantly comment “this is sliceable” (or some form of that) throughout all of March. What a great reminder to remain present.
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My husband says that to me sometimes, too. I love that writing this month can become a family affair!
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ha, totally love it, and totally relatable. As a neurospicy, I have these internal conversations that ping in different directions all day long. Thanks for sharing. Your shower slice. That you warned yourself not to slice. Ha!
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I’m not always good at taking my own advice. lol I’m glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
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